LAT: Rare Accord on Need to Compete (in math and science)

[DeepModem Mom]

Rare Accord on Need to Compete
Bush wins unified support on $136 billion in funding for education and research in math and science amid fears the U.S. is lagging.

By Janet Hook, Times Staff Writer


WASHINGTON — By calling for new education and research programs to bolster U.S. competitiveness, President Bush achieved a surprising thing in his State of the Union address: He won bipartisan praise, a rare accomplishment in today's polarized climate in Washington.

Bush embraced key elements of proposals pushed hard by a cadre of Republicans and Democrats to boost funding for research and education in mathematics and science to help address concerns that the United States was falling behind its global competitors.

He called for training more teachers for advanced high school math and science, making permanent the tax credits for research and development, and increasing the funding for physical sciences research. The White House put the cost of the initiatives at more than $136 billion over 10 years — most of which would go to the tax credits, which Bush has previously supported.

Still, that is a tidy sum in a tight budget year, and some Democrats questioned whether other education programs would suffer to help cover the cost.

The proposals closely track the recommendations of a well-received recent report by the National Academy of Sciences addressing competitiveness....


http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-compete1feb01,0,1177741.story?coll=la-home-nation

[htuttle]

1. Can't you build a bridge with 'faith-based mathematics'?

Aren't we supposed to protect our children from all that 'liberal-science' (to paraphrase Trofim Lysenko...)?

[rodeodance]

5. little funding--but lots of Hype

[Demeter]

2. It's Not Going To Happen in Intelligent Design/Charter Schools

It's not going to happen at Andover and other preppy places. It's going to happen in the suburbs, where people with actual jobs (a high percentage of them in engineering) reside and support public schools--but where are these suburbs? Why, they've all been outsourced--to India, Asia, Eastern Europe, anywhere but here! They sure as hell ain't in Texas! Soon, they won't be in California, either. People who live there can't afford children.

[DamnYank]

3. Incompatible with Every Child Left Behind

Teachers focus on teaching to the test and little real learning occurs in the classroom. Kids aren't required to learn their multiplication tables because there's no time for it. Nothing will change until we get Doofus out of there and some real leader gets Congress to repeal that unfunded mandate for failure.

If kids fail to learn math skills at an early age they will lack the capacity to take advanced courses in high school and college. That's a large part of the problem now.

[Wickerman]

4. This is a program continued from the Clinton era

Its good stuff - I worked with the program for a number of years. Just as in Texas he will take the efforts of previous administrations, ingore them, do little to nothing to improve them, then claim credit.

Ann Richards started education accountability in Texas and did a nice job using real data to make improvements in schools that were failing minority children - all this long before Georgestopped eating hotdogs at the ballpark he stole from Dallas citizens.

He ignored k-12 education (except to limit funds) for most of his term as gov then proceeded to claim credit for improvements as he ran again - all the while thinking of the WH.

Now, after igonring NSF and NSA for years he is going to get behind the program. :eyes:

[Drum]

8. I liked Ann....

When she was governor, I was married to a lifelong Texan---though we lived in NYC. My ex- pointed out more about Gv. Richards than I would've noticed otherwise, and I thought she was a good gov and a cool lady. Even more so when viewed next to her successor!

[Cassandra]

6. Rare accord or stealing ideas...

because he has none of his own?

[sadiesworld]

7. That should come in handy counting change and

manufacturing burgers.

[FlaGranny]

9. In a few months

there will be a little item hidden on some bill that CUTS funding for science and math education. It's just the way Bush does things. Remember a couple of years ago? Every time Bush spoke at any organization that received Federal funding, he would praise them for their good work, and then cut their budget a month or so later? I think he gets a charge out of doing that. His supporters remember the praise and visit, but never hear about the cutting of funds. They think he's actually done something.

[Hekate]

16. Money for education is a zero-sum game; very finite compared to "defense"

As it says in the article:
> Still, that is a tidy sum in a tight budget year,
> and some Democrats questioned whether other
> education programs would suffer to help cover the cost.

I don't expect anything to come of it except a few photo ops for Bush. He really doesn't give a rat's behind, but he has a speechwriter and a pollster who can tell the rest of us do care about education.

Hekate

[superconnected]

10. I guess this means funding for public schools is going to be totally cut

so we can give permanent tax cuts to the rich.

[gizmo1979]

11. It doesn't matter if we can't afford to send them to

college.They cut student loans,it cost 20,000 dollars a year that's tough to come up with.My daughter is a bio chem major ,I found more money for art and music majors.That really erncourages kids to take the grueling curriculum only to see their flute playing roommate get the grants.

[wordpix2]

12. I teach math and science and get a measly paycheck---does this mean we'll

be paid what we're worth now?

[AngryAmish]

13. If math and science scores are low now -

If you get paid more for same results than you will not have any incentive to do better. (This is not directed at you specifically so please hold offence.)

Just throwing money without improving the teaching will not work. Kids in foreign nations study more and do problems (drill and kill). And it works.

[WinkyDink]

14. Better throw in a little analytical reading, too.

[VegasWolf]

15. Bush's idea of science is intelligent design. That will really work. Oh,

and no working in genetics either. It's again the bibble!

:sarcasm: